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Opposite Coasts

Opposite Coasts Layout-01.png

Opposite Coasts was an analog board game I designed in around a week for my Game Design 1 class over the summer of 2023. The goal was to put players in the mindset of governments that may wish to preserve the environment and contain pollution in the oceans but face internal struggles that can compel them to stray from that goal.

In this game, each player chooses one of four countries to play as. Each country has its own playstyle and goals. For example, Fjorden might be great at collecting information and disposing of pollution but struggles with generating funds, while Oliviera might excel in money generation but require a clean ocean to thrive. By the end of 3 years (12 rounds), each country must fulfill their personal goal (produce a certain amount of goods, perform fishing successfully 3 times). However, there is a final goal all the players collectively must fulfill. At the end of 3 years, the ocean cannot contain more than a specific amount of pollution; otherwise, everyone loses.

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The actions list for each of the 3 countries.

What makes this game interesting are the 4 rotating bags of oceanwater. Players cannot see the contents of each bag, meaning gathering information is a big part of this game. After each round, the bags rotate in a clockwise direction, meaning if one player decides to dump a bunch of pollution into a bag, that bag won't come around to them until 4 rounds later, meaning your actions don't have a direct negative impact on you. Not being able to see just how much pollution was in the ocean at any given time created a lot of tension, especially in the late game when the 3-year clock was ticking down.

I was initially worried that the game's cooperative nature where everyone could see if you chose to dump pollution would prompt players to always act in the group's interest over their personal goals.  However, during playtests, I was pleased to see players prioritize their own goals over the good of the group in the earlier rounds. It made later rounds when pollution was high more interesting and exciting.

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A section of my simulation sheet. Here, I was testing to see the average profits (money produced - pollution produced) of a given city to see how many games would have one city's profits be over -1 (as cities are able to generate 1 money unconditionally each turn). I also calculated the likelihood of outliers (profit or loss greater than 10), and the likelihood all 4 cities remained unprofitable.

I designed the game to have two main phases that encourage different player behaviors. At the start, players have low money and incomplete tasks, making them more likely to prioritize their own city’s goals by dumping pollution into the ocean. This creates a stronger connection to the pollution in play and its consequences. In the second phase, as pollution levels become more visible, players are encouraged to work together to clean up the ocean and avoid losing the game.

To balance these phases, I used spreadsheets and simulations to track key variables like profits, pollution levels, and task difficulty. By analyzing the data, I adjusted things like dice rolls, task goals, and pollution penalties to make sure the game stayed challenging but fair. These tools helped me fine-tune the transition between phases, ensuring players felt the shift from competition to cooperation while keeping the gameplay engaging.

© 2024 David Li

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